Comments on: Expensive cars in public housing http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/ Politics, current events, culture - From Finland & United States Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:08:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Yuri Belov http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-57473 Yuri Belov Fri, 12 May 2006 00:00:03 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-57473 Please spare our planet of one more car! Please spare our planet of one more car!

]]> By: Hank W. http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56778 Hank W. Wed, 10 May 2006 10:57:04 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56778 I lived in a Vantaa "council flat". It was a terrace with a garden. And it was occupied with "regular people". And my rent was so big that I rather bought my own as paying mortgage was cheaper. The city is not "being a charity" with the council flats. Granted, the City also pays some peoples rents, but thats another pocket the money comes from. I lived in a Vantaa “council flat”. It was a terrace with a garden. And it was occupied with “regular people”. And my rent was so big that I rather bought my own as paying mortgage was cheaper. The city is not “being a charity” with the council flats. Granted, the City also pays some peoples rents, but thats another pocket the money comes from.

]]> By: Toby http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56034 Toby Fri, 05 May 2006 20:22:01 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56034 "Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves?" I live in a council house so I could take this personally, but I'll just put it down to your ignorance. Just because you rent from the city rather than a private landlord doesn't mean you don't pay commercial rates. I have a secondhand Focus - is that too bling? Would you like me to go for something less ostentatious? “Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves?”

I live in a council house so I could take this personally, but I’ll just put it down to your ignorance. Just because you rent from the city rather than a private landlord doesn’t mean you don’t pay commercial rates. I have a secondhand Focus – is that too bling? Would you like me to go for something less ostentatious?

]]> By: Freeridin' Franklin http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56020 Freeridin' Franklin Fri, 05 May 2006 19:07:27 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56020 #15 What I meant to quote in the first paragraph was <i>Fortunately or unfortunately for them, the banks may not always give you a loan, but car salesman will happily give any fool a loan.</i> #15

What I meant to quote in the first paragraph was

Fortunately or unfortunately for them, the banks may not always give you a loan, but car salesman will happily give any fool a loan.

]]> By: Freeridin' Franklin http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56019 Freeridin' Franklin Fri, 05 May 2006 19:05:55 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56019 <i>Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check. Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check.</i> Yeah, just because you don't have a 150 year mortgage, you're bound to have bad credit. How VERY Finnish of our dear Phil. Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check.

Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check.

Yeah, just because you don’t have a 150 year mortgage, you’re bound to have bad credit. How VERY Finnish of our dear Phil.

]]> By: gopha http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56016 gopha Fri, 05 May 2006 18:48:28 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56016 <i>Fortunately or unfortunately for them, the banks may not always give you a loan, but car salesman will happily give any fool a loan.</i> Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check. Fortunately or unfortunately for them, the banks may not always give you a loan, but car salesman will happily give any fool a loan.

Yeah, i remember all sorts of commercials on channels in Houston from these small dealerships who are willng to sell you a car without a credit check.

]]> By: Finnish honesty http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-56000 Finnish honesty Fri, 05 May 2006 17:55:12 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-56000 Phil, you've gone Finnish. Don't worry about your neigbours. Go out and DO SOMETHING with your life, rather than live it consumed with envy Phil, you’ve gone Finnish. Don’t worry about your neigbours. Go out and DO SOMETHING with your life, rather than live it consumed with envy

]]> By: Freeridin' Franklin http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55990 Freeridin' Franklin Fri, 05 May 2006 16:12:10 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55990 <i>What’s with all the expensive cars sitting in the parking lot outside public housing projects in Finland?</i> Well, I live in public housing (not the city, though) and drive a new car. (The payment is about 600 EUR/month). You really need to put things in perspective. Just because you can afford a new S-class Mercedes doesn't mean that you can afford an apartment fit for humans in the Helsinki area nowadays. I'd get about 8-10 cars like I have with the cost of an apartment I'd be willing to live in (I've had enough of east Helsinki for one lifetime). As for subsidies for tax money, the point is kind of moot these days. The interests of the ARAVA loans were subsidised. While rents for those flats used to be practically free, now they are pretty close to market rents. I suspect that the city is actually making money with most their flats. I see public housing as a practical buffer against market failures such as the current housing bubble. While you're gathering collateral for purchase during a more optimal time, why not drive a nice car meanwhile instead of those rustbuckets you always complain about? What’s with all the expensive cars sitting in the parking lot outside public housing projects in Finland?

Well, I live in public housing (not the city, though) and drive a new car. (The payment is about 600 EUR/month). You really need to put things in perspective. Just because you can afford a new S-class Mercedes doesn’t mean that you can afford an apartment fit for humans in the Helsinki area nowadays. I’d get about 8-10 cars like I have with the cost of an apartment I’d be willing to live in (I’ve had enough of east Helsinki for one lifetime).

As for subsidies for tax money, the point is kind of moot these days. The interests of the ARAVA loans were subsidised. While rents for those flats used to be practically free, now they are pretty close to market rents. I suspect that the city is actually making money with most their flats.

I see public housing as a practical buffer against market failures such as the current housing bubble. While you’re gathering collateral for purchase during a more optimal time, why not drive a nice car meanwhile instead of those rustbuckets you always complain about?

]]> By: Belino http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55987 Belino Fri, 05 May 2006 15:16:08 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55987 I heard somewhere that you can buy apartment from city after living in it for some time. Not sure about this, but if this is true then many of them are owners of that apartments. I heard somewhere that you can buy apartment from city after living in it for some time. Not sure about this, but if this is true then many of them are owners of that apartments.

]]> By: Antti (the redneck one) http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55986 Antti (the redneck one) Fri, 05 May 2006 15:14:13 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55986 "Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves?" Look at the big picture. That was a small municipality with limited number of apartments on free market. People sticked to their country houses, built by their great grandaddy. Now if you moved in, you built your own house, but at that time, the bank loans were hard to get and if you crossed the income limits for an ARAVA loan, that's it then. But with a housing project, the municipality could get some decent tax payers to move in and the project could almost pay itself back. Of course, the times are different now, but I'm not sure, whether we are actually subsidizing the housing project denizens in big scale, as they pay taxes too and might otherwise commute from some other city, if they didn't have that apartment. “Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves?”

Look at the big picture. That was a small municipality with limited number of apartments on free market. People sticked to their country houses, built by their great grandaddy. Now if you moved in, you built your own house, but at that time, the bank loans were hard to get and if you crossed the income limits for an ARAVA loan, that’s it then. But with a housing project, the municipality could get some decent tax payers to move in and the project could almost pay itself back.

Of course, the times are different now, but I’m not sure, whether we are actually subsidizing the housing project denizens in big scale, as they pay taxes too and might otherwise commute from some other city, if they didn’t have that apartment.

]]> By: Ragnarök http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55984 Ragnarök Fri, 05 May 2006 15:12:20 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55984 Read OECD's latest survey on Finland: Nearly three-quarters of Finland’s population is eligible for social housing programmes and even relatively high income earners live in government subsidised housing. Limiting the eligibility to social housing would save money, with probably little implication for social objectives, while stimulating the private rental sector. The housing allowance system should also be reformed. The magnitude of the allowance should be linked to the average rent in the region, rather then the actual rent paid, which would reduce the cost of the scheme and allow households to choose the quality and price of the housing. http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,2340,en_33873108_33873360_36551092_1_1_1_1,00.html Read OECD’s latest survey on Finland:
Nearly three-quarters of Finland’s population is eligible for social housing programmes and even relatively high income earners live in government subsidised housing. Limiting the eligibility to social housing would save money, with probably little implication for social objectives, while stimulating the private rental sector. The housing allowance system should also be reformed. The magnitude of the allowance should be linked to the average rent in the region, rather then the actual rent paid, which would reduce the cost of the scheme and allow households to choose the quality and price of the housing.
http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,2340,en_33873108_33873360_36551092_1_1_1_1,00.html

]]> By: jtp http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55983 jtp Fri, 05 May 2006 15:09:18 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55983 8. There must be some misunderstanding here: "...our tax money wasted on them...". There is tax subsidy for people who "own" (= bank owns) their house. 8. There must be some misunderstanding here: “…our tax money wasted on them…”.

There is tax subsidy for people who “own” (= bank owns) their house.

]]> By: Phil http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55947 Phil Fri, 05 May 2006 13:24:11 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55947 <i>I lived my first 16 years in such a house and there was a police constable, a local sourcing manager for a lumber company, a teacher, a nurse and the secretary to the “mayor” living in the same house.</i> Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves? I lived my first 16 years in such a house and there was a police constable, a local sourcing manager for a lumber company, a teacher, a nurse and the secretary to the “mayor” living in the same house.

Why do our tax money need to be wasted on them so they can buy fancy cars and go on fancy vacations, when they have the means to support themselves?

]]> By: winter http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55941 winter Fri, 05 May 2006 13:07:45 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55941 Try this car <a HREF="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=1&f=/c/a/2006/04/30/MNGJGII7BB1.DTL&type=printable" rel="nofollow">Jet powered VW</a> Try this car Jet powered VW

]]> By: antti (the redneck one) http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/comment-page-1/#comment-55928 antti (the redneck one) Fri, 05 May 2006 12:36:28 +0000 http://www.finlandforthought.net/2006/05/05/expensive-cars-in-public-housing/#comment-55928 You don't necessarily have to be a displaced puliukko to live in a council housing project in Finland. I lived my first 16 years in such a house and there was a police constable, a local sourcing manager for a lumber company, a teacher, a nurse and the secretary to the "mayor" living in the same house. At HKL, many of my workmates had an apartment at Porvoonkatu, Koskela or Siilitie, provided by the Stadi of Helsinki. You don’t necessarily have to be a displaced puliukko to live in a council housing project in Finland. I lived my first 16 years in such a house and there was a police constable, a local sourcing manager for a lumber company, a teacher, a nurse and the secretary to the “mayor” living in the same house. At HKL, many of my workmates had an apartment at Porvoonkatu, Koskela or Siilitie, provided by the Stadi of Helsinki.

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